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"Alaska salmon" is not another generic name for Chinook salmon. The guy was asking about Alaskan King salmon. There are people who prefer it to what is available in Washington...or Oregon.
The king salmon fished off the Seattle coast is the exact same fish as what's fished out of Alaska. Furthermore, apparently you're unaware that yes, the fish taken from Alaska ARE brought to Seattle live to be processed. Same with the halibut. They're kept in live tanks in the boats, unloaded off the pier here in Seattle, and then are prepped and processed locally. How do you think the mongers in Pike Place obtain this stuff?
The king salmon fished off the Seattle coast is the exact same fish as what's fished out of Alaska. Furthermore, apparently you're unaware that yes, the fish taken from Alaska ARE brought to Seattle live to be processed. Same with the halibut. They're kept in live tanks in the boats, unloaded off the pier here in Seattle, and then are prepped and processed locally. How do you think the mongers in Pike Place obtain this stuff?
The king salmon fished off the Seattle coast is the exact same fish as what's fished out of Alaska. Furthermore, apparently you're unaware that yes, the fish taken from Alaska ARE brought to Seattle live to be processed. Same with the halibut. They're kept in live tanks in the boats, unloaded off the pier here in Seattle, and then are prepped and processed locally. How do you think the mongers in Pike Place obtain this stuff?
As GI Joe says, "knowing is half the battle".
As I've already stated, I'm aware that they are the same fish. Some people still prefer Alaskan salmon, however, which is what the OP was asking about. The seafood industry in Alaska spends a fair amount of money promoting Alaskan caught salmon et al as being superior to that available in the lower 48 because of the cleanliness and the coldness of the waters in which they are caught.
I don't have a clue about live salmon and halibut being brought in holding tanks from Alaska to Seattle. Can you give me an example of that? They would have to be huge holding tanks, it can be as much as a five day run from some of the fishing grounds in AK to Seattle, and both salmon and halibut do not do well when crammed together like they'd have to be in such a holding tank. It's quite interesting though. Our business is in SE Alaska where we don't have the huge processing boats that they have farther north, and what fresh product we do process is either flash frozen or sent by plane to speciality markets. Mostly what we do, though, is lox.
Which is it then? You stated in an earlier post that the salmon available from the "mongers" at Pikes is "fished right here".
Quote:
I'm telling you that if I go to Pike Place and buy a salmon, or Fisherman's Wharf, or The Fish Guys, or any one of a myriad of other fishmongers here in town, that fish has never seen a freezer. Why? The salmon is fished right here. But why let little things like details get in the way, right?
There's no contradiction in what I said. If I was going to the Market today, I'd take a couple of pictures of the signs from the throwing fish guys. They distinguish their fresh/never frozen salmon with various signs stating what type of fish it is and where it was caught. There will be 2 rows of fish that are labeled "wild caught Alaskan salmon, never frozen" (caught in Alaska, transported down here, processed), and a couple of rows of "wild caught king salmon, never frozen" (caught locally), usually a row of "wild caught Columbia River salmon" (which I assume is a Coho; I've never given it much thought, etc.).
Most of the halibut is caught in Alaska and then shipped down live (and if I recall correctly - though I could be wrong on this point - the local halibut is called Pacific Halibut and the stuff caught in AK is called Alaskan Halibut on the signs). I've seen them unloading them. Given AK's remote location, it's cheaper to ferry the stuff down here for processing and transport.
There's no contradiction in what I said. If I was going to the Market today, I'd take a couple of pictures of the signs from the throwing fish guys. They distinguish their fresh/never frozen salmon with various signs stating what type of fish it is and where it was caught. There will be 2 rows of fish that are labeled "wild caught Alaskan salmon, never frozen" (caught in Alaska, transported down here, processed), and a couple of rows of "wild caught king salmon, never frozen" (caught locally), usually a row of "wild caught Columbia River salmon" (which I assume is a Coho; I've never given it much thought, etc.).
Most of the halibut is caught in Alaska and then shipped down live (and if I recall correctly - though I could be wrong on this point - the local halibut is called Pacific Halibut and the stuff caught in AK is called Alaskan Halibut on the signs). I've seen them unloading them. Given AK's remote location, it's cheaper to ferry the stuff down here for processing and transport.
Alaskan Halibut is caught by a procedure called long lining. A fish kept alive after being caught that way and put in a holding tank is going to likely become infected and be unfit to eat within a matter of hours. If you've ever seen a halibut hook you'd understand why.
I also believe that it is illegal to transport live fish out of the state of Alaska. And for commercial catches going to the fresh market, the cheapest way to get them down is by plane--but that's only true for the very top of the fresh market. And the season is short in Alaska...fishermen/processors don't find it cost effective to run down to Seattle until the season is over.
Halibut...is pretty feisty fish. If the ones you saw had been alive while being unloaded they would have been knocking the crap out of the people trying to do so. We usually shoot them after they are brought on deck. I also have a halibut club hanging on my wall. The reason they're killed immediately upon being cuaght is to protect the crew. No doubt that will attract some PETA flamers.
Seattle, though, does have a very high number of commercial vessels that are actually registered in Alaska, but also fish in Washington when the season in Alaska is over. Maybe what you saw was a boat with AK behind it's registration numbers which was bringing in a local catch.
The salmon that goes to the fresh market is troll caught and it isn't possible to keep the fish alive after being caught this way. And I'm not 100% sure of this but I think that it's a state reg. that salmon caught in Alaska has to be processed in Alaska. That's part of what my company does, vacuum seal and flash freeze commercial catch. Some of it we plane out as special orders, mostly to Colorado, surpringingly enough, but there are plenty of people in Vail and Aspen with the financial means to support that. It's gotta be packaged and that has to be done right--dates, lot numbers, ect. The fish cops there take their jobs very seriously. Halibut cops are particularly vigilant and have been known to confinscate a boat's entire catch.
As for the lower end fresh market...most of it's iced and shipped down. Sometimes what you see in the stores as fresh seafood from Alaska has actually been caught about 10 days or so ago. That's why flash freezing has become such a good option. I've seen some really nasty looking salmon in some of the stores being sold as "fresh".
Don't know much about Columbia River salmon except that the Kings start to run in April.
You're very lucky to live close to Pikes. It's one of the best in the world.
Anyway, back to the OP: you shouldn't have much trouble finding Alaskan King in Portland. Try the link I posted, the other suggestions that you got here were very good as well.
Alaskan Halibut is caught by a procedure called long lining. A fish kept alive after being caught that way and put in a holding tank is going to likely become infected and be unfit to eat within a matter of hours. If you've ever seen a halibut hook you'd understand why.
I also believe that it is illegal to transport live fish out of the state of Alaska. And for commercial catches going to the fresh market, the cheapest way to get them down is by plane--but that's only true for the very top of the fresh market. And the season is short in Alaska...fishermen/processors don't find it cost effective to run down to Seattle until the season is over.
Halibut...is pretty feisty fish. If the ones you saw had been alive while being unloaded they would have been knocking the crap out of the people trying to do so. We usually shoot them after they are brought on deck. I also have a halibut club hanging on my wall. The reason they're killed immediately upon being cuaght is to protect the crew. No doubt that will attract some PETA flamers.
Seattle, though, does have a very high number of commercial vessels that are actually registered in Alaska, but also fish in Washington when the season in Alaska is over. Maybe what you saw was a boat with AK behind it's registration numbers which was bringing in a local catch.
The salmon that goes to the fresh market is troll caught and it isn't possible to keep the fish alive after being caught this way. And I'm not 100% sure of this but I think that it's a state reg. that salmon caught in Alaska has to be processed in Alaska. That's part of what my company does, vacuum seal and flash freeze commercial catch. Some of it we plane out as special orders, mostly to Colorado, surpringingly enough, but there are plenty of people in Vail and Aspen with the financial means to support that. It's gotta be packaged and that has to be done right--dates, lot numbers, ect. The fish cops there take their jobs very seriously. Halibut cops are particularly vigilant and have been known to confinscate a boat's entire catch.
As for the lower end fresh market...most of it's iced and shipped down. Sometimes what you see in the stores as fresh seafood from Alaska has actually been caught about 10 days or so ago. That's why flash freezing has become such a good option. I've seen some really nasty looking salmon in some of the stores being sold as "fresh".
Don't know much about Columbia River salmon except that the Kings start to run in April.
You're very lucky to live close to Pikes. It's one of the best in the world.
Anyway, back to the OP: you shouldn't have much trouble finding Alaskan King in Portland. Try the link I posted, the other suggestions that you got here were very good as well.
Awesome. Great post. Thanks for your insight. Also, thanks to many other posters for your insight, information, none abrasiveness and over all humility.
It is nice to hear from people who ACTUALLY know what they're talking about rather than others who like to think they know, everything. Ever. All of the time.
*Takes deep breath of fresh air*
Sounds like Seattle has a pretty awesome fresh fish selection. Can't wait to visit!
As someone said earlier in this thread, "As GI Joe says, "knowing is half the battle".
Also, for anyone who thinks that they are the "exact same fish"...they are, of course. But something like the principle of "terroir" involved in fine wines applies to seafood as well, and people have their various preferences. Some people swear by "Copper River Reds" and others prefer sockeye from SE Alaska the same way they'd prefer an Oregon Pinot Noir to one from the exact same grape grown in California.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 11-17-2010 at 07:02 AM..
So M., what's the real deal on Copper River fish?
When they show up in the stores here, the hype makes you think that there isn't a better salmon on the planet.
But I heard it's all manufactured hype to create a market.
So M., what's the real deal on Copper River fish?
When they show up in the stores here, the hype makes you think that there isn't a better salmon on the planet.
But I heard it's all manufactured hype to create a market.
Well...a lot of money was spent maybe a decade or so ago in marketing Copper River Salmon, but by the same token it's excellent fish, so the answer to your question is that it's both. Copper River salmon is also planed out on Alaska Airlines cargo jets so it usually arrives at the stores fairly fresh. I would always buy it at an actual seafood store, though, and not a supermarket, because some of what I've seen available in supermarkets indicates that the employees are not sufficiently trained in the proper handling techniques necessary that ensure that quality seafood remain so.
In my opinion, Copper River salmon is only worth the price when it's the first run.
The oil and fat content is relative to their respective spawning grounds; Copper River is long and cold so therefore the salmon develop a bit more physiological reserves than salmon going to warmer spawning grounds. That also ties in to why there are those such as the OP who prefer Alaskan salmon over that caught elsewhere.
And just so everyone knows...Alaskan seafood is not transported live to Seattle. We got a good laugh out of that one; thanks, Xan.
So M., what's the real deal on Copper River fish?
When they show up in the stores here, the hype makes you think that there isn't a better salmon on the planet.
But I heard it's all manufactured hype to create a market.
Here's a good article detailing how the marketing of Copper River salmon as a a superior brand originated. Interesting that prior to 1983, most Copper River salmon was being canned and shipped to Japan.
The reasoning I've heard about why Copper River fish in particular are supposed to taste better is because the Copper River is such a rugged river(and long) for the salmon to swim upstream against. Since salmon have to store fat for the upstream journey to the spawning grounds, the salmon on the Copper River have more fat--leading to more Omega-3 oils and a rich and tastier fish. Could be just hype though---I've never done a taste test of "Copper River" king salmon with king salmon from another part of Alaska.
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